Monday, October 23, 2006

Breaking a sacred contract. Homeless Veterans

I have ranted and raved about this issue for some time now, usually when I was so pissed off that I couldn't think clearly. This morning I am feeling much more subdued and frankly, sad. I know we are getting close to the election, I know we have all given probably more than ever before, I know I have. On top of everything political, among all the scandals and outrages, behind the sinister shredding of our constitution and The Military Commissions Act of 2006 There is the ongoing travesty of veterans with no place to live.

.

Their numbers vary from around 250,000 to 500,000.

Their circumstance vary. The one thing they have in common is they are all veterans of the american military machine and they have all been let down by our goverment and by us. There is no other contract more sacred than that between a citizenry and it's soldiers. Because we are a democracy we are suppose to be the ones in charge. It is up to us change the structure of support for these men and women of our armed forces.

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans will end homelessness among veterans by shaping public policy, promoting collaboration, and building the capacity of service providers.

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) -- a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization governed by a 13-member board of directors -- is the resource and technical assistance center for a national network of community-based service providers and local, state and federal agencies that provide emergency and supportive housing, food, health services, job training and placement assistance, legal aid and case management support for hundreds of thousands of homeless veterans each year.

NCHV also serves as the primary liaison between the nation's care providers, Congress and the Executive Branch agencies charged with helping them succeed in their work. NCHV's advocacy has strengthened and increased funding for virtually every federal homeless veteran assistance program in existence today.

There is absolutely no excuse for the lack of treatment and care for our veterans. Please support our troops in a liberal progressive manner. Not the empty rhetoric of the right. You can donate what you can, join a vet advocacy organization, or Locate a Community-based Organization

The facts are that the US government in it's present form simply isn't doing enough to take care of these people. And that is just plain wrong.

"It's horrible to put your life on the line and then come back home to nothing, that's what I came home to: nothing. I didn't know where to go or where to turn," says Mr. Noel. "I thought I was alone, but I found out there are a whole lot of other soldiers in the same situation. Now I want people to know what's really going on."

Beyond the yellow ribbons

Both the Veterans Administration and private veterans service organizations are already stretched, providing services for veterans of previous conflicts. For instance, while an estimated 500,000 veterans were homeless at some time during 2004, the VA had the resources to tend to only 100,000 of them.

dollars a YEAR on military expeditures and can't take care of it's vets is beyond me. You think more could be done just by accident with that kind of money. Again, that's $441,800,000,000. Let that sink in.

This is the amount of money the US has allocated for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to be spent by September 30, 2006, the end of the fiscal year. And the Senate is working on a spending bill that will add another $50 billion more in spending for 2007.

Using one dollar bills.

This pile is 125 feet wide, 200 feet deep, and 450 feet tall.

450 feet is the height of a 38-story building. It's the hieght of the Millenium Wheel in London. It is also the height of the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas and the Louisiana State Capitol Building.

If you were to stack the money in a single stack, your stack would be 19,887 miles tall, enough to wrap the Moon at its equator almost 3 times.

I still can't wrap my brain around these figures. Honestly I have no idea how we can't be taking care of our vets properly. WTF is going on here.

I joined up with them a few months ago. You don't have to be a Vietnam Vet to join. I am particularly fond of this organization as it was started right here in my hometown by a man a know and admire. This is another great resource and these people put their hearts into helping vets.

Legend has it that in Vietnam, sometime in 1969, two soldiers from the same hometown (Rockford, Illinois) met up with each other on a hilltop near Pleiku...and promised each other that if they ever made it back home, they would get together sometime for dinner, and to talk over their wartime adventures. Whether or not, the legend is true doesn't really matter...but sometime in the early 1980s, a group of Vietnam veterans did come together to share their experiences, and talk about what Vietnam had meant to them.

From those beginnings, VietNow was formed...first with a group in Rockford that just kept growing and growing and growing, until a few years later, the group went national, forming chapters all around the country. Since those days, VietNow has changed with the times...starting with a focus on the Vietnam experience, and along the way picking up on veterans and veterans issues right up to the present day.

But no matter what the issue, VietNow's primary focus has always been on the veterans and the families of the veterans.

Keep the faith brothers and sisters. Remember our vets. We owe them.

Here is complete and updated resource for contact information about your Congress Critters.

Give them a shout and tell them what you expect from them on the treatment and funding for our vets.

Peace Out.

I've added this from the comments below. Thanks to paxpdx for the reminder.

So yeah - by all means, call Congress, join organizations, exert pressure - but don't forget to take the time to talk to these guys. It's not hard to find homeless vets - go to any shelter, any soup kitchen, any social service agency that serves homeless and mentally ill folks, and there they'll be.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Random cool stuff

Sunday, June 25, 2006

a 17 year olds take on An Inconvenient Truth

My wife, myself and our youngest son, (he's seventeen) finally saw Gores movie tonight. We almost drove all the way to Madison WI. last weekend to see it and and then found out it would be in our city this weekend, so we postponed our viewing till tonight. I am glad we did. We were getting ready to leave just as ElizabethD put up her Saturday night WYFP diary and I had time to make a quick snarky post about Kos being the KingPin when my son came in to tell us of his plans for tonight. It of course didn't include us. At first that is.Follow me below for just a minute so I can tell you how the movie affected him and his thoughts on the matter.

So the conversation went something like this. "Hey dad, me and some friends are going to the movies." "No shit? So are me and Mom, leaving in about ten minutes". "Which one?" "Gores movie, the one I been telling you about". "You mean the global warming thing"? "Yep, have you seen the trailer for it?""Nope". "Here, I got it bookmarked, check it out". That was all it took. After he watched the trailer he called his friends and said he would be going out with Mom and Dad this Saturday night. Pretty damn impressive trailer I'd say.

On the way there we listened to some classic rock station, cranked at mach10, doing one of those five in a row things, and tried to figure out if it was Black Sabbath or Ronnie Dio's band. Turned out it was Sabbath when Dio was fronting it. My wife and son were right, I didn't get a clue till they played Heaven and Hell. So much for my teen age hard rock background.We get to the theater, the parking lot is pretty full. We left all our commie paraphernalia at home except for the magnetic "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism" sticker on the back of the minivan. I know, I know, minivan. So we sold out, hey, we got three kids and two huge dogs. Anyway.. the parking lot looked just like any other lot. Walking in we were looking for some sign that would indicate other like-minded folks were there. The only thing that stood out was a certified 1970 something VW hippy bus. Cool, things are looking up.

We get our tickets, popcorn, cherry licorice and a couple of those 1/2 gallon soda's and sit down about 5 rows from the front. There was probably about 100 people in our theater, the other ones must have been packed.About the movie. For me it cemented my love for the man as a human being trying to do what he passionately believes, and is the right thing to do. I loved it. If you haven't seen it yet, do so. The three of us watched without blinking, I think we realized that we are so fucking hungry for some honest compassionate leadership, that it almost hurt to watch. Afterwards we were the second to last to leave. I actually felt like crying. As we were walking out there were two middle age women close to the door. We stopped and engaged them for a few minutes. After a short conversation I determined they would make good Kossacks.

My son had been relatively quiet afterwards, when we got to the car we stood outside and started talking. When I asked him what he thought, he said he had no idea it had gone this far. He said that at school and from everything he's read, it sounded like they had it under control, that they had been working on it for about a decade. He was visibly upset. When I asked him how he felt he offered that he felt like either crying, or breaking something. We spent the next ten minutes or so talking, not just about the movie, but wondering just how different the world would be right now if Gore had been rightfully sworn in as President. It was a kind of melancholy conversation until we got to talking about action. Then he told me he was going to get all his friends to go see it. He perked up a little.

Dad, I have so many ideas about what we can do. That's why I want to go into aerospace engineering, everything they do trickles down into other technologies and industries. Most of the advanced technology starts there and I would be the one designing that stuff!Think about it, I could actually make a huge difference in how the future is shaped for all of us! I just hope I am not too late.

We talked some more. What I saw and heard in him tonight is a young man who is conscious and aware of the world he lives in. He has fears that our generation has fucked things up beyond repair. He is angry and yet also see's how complacency has led us to this point. Both in our political situation, and the state of the living, breathing earth. He is hungry for change.I am very proud of my son, not just because he is mine and I raised him for ten years without a mother, or because his intellect is so much more advanced than mine, but because he has a huge compassionate heart and loves the world and life. Go get'em Eddie. I believe in you.

Monday, May 29, 2006

Never Forget

Today my family and I will not attend a barbecue. We will not drink ourselves senseless by the pool and we will not be attending any parades. Today I will respectfully hold in my heart these men and women who have served in the armed forces in order for me to have the choice about what I will do today.

Here is a link to another site that keeps a record for these soldiers and their familes. You can read about their lives and leave messages for the families. Please take a moment to honor these soldiers and the loved ones they left behind.Fallen Heroes of Operation Iraqi Freedom

Two Thousand Four Hundred Fifty Seven dead american soldiers as of May 23

If you visit the site linked above, take a moment to read about these soldiers. Not as statistics but as sons, daughters, husbands, wives, mothers, fathers. Fellow human being taken in this tragic war. The media won't talk bout them. There are no pictures of the dead and wounded coming back from the hell of combat. We do not see the thousands laying in hospital beds missing pieces of their bodies and minds. Americans are kept seperated from its soldiers as the horror of this war and the consequences are too horrible to be told to the public. The bush govt. doesn't give a rats ass about them. It is up to us to remember them, and to fight in their memory to change this country back to something we can be proud of. The site encourages leaving messages for the familes of those killed. It goes without saying to be respectful should you choose to do so.

May 23, 2006

Army Spc. Michael L. Hermanson, 21, of Fargo, North Dakota.

Hermanson died in AL Abayachi, Iraq, of injuries sustained when his RG-31 Mine Protected Vehicle came under improvised explosive device, rocket propel grenade and enemy small arms fire while on a route-clearing mission during combat operations. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 164th Engineer Battalion, Minot, North Dakota. Died on May 23, 2006.

Allen died in Baghdad, Iraq, from injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, New York. Died on May 18, 2006.

Army Pfc. Nicholas R. Cournoyer, 25, of Gilmanton, New Hampshire.

Cournoyer died in Baghdad, Iraq, from injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, New York. Died on May 18, 2006.

Marine Cpl. William B. Fulks, 23, of Culloden, West Virginia.

Fulks died at Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, from wounds received while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar province, Iraq, on May 1, 2006. He was assigned to the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on May 18, 2006.

Army Lt. Col. Daniel E. Holland, 43, of San Antonio, Texas.

Holland died in Baghdad, Iraq, from injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. He was assigned to the 352nd Civil Affairs Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Died on May 18, 2006.

Army 1st. Lt. Robert A. Seidel III, 23, of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Seidel died in Baghdad, Iraq, from injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, New York. Died on May 18, 2006.

Deal died as a result of enemy action in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was operationally assigned to Regimental Combat Team-5, I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), and permanently assigned to 2nd Marine Division Fleet Marine Force Atlantic, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on May 17, 2006.

May 16, 2006

Army Staff Sgt. Santiago M. Halsel, 32, of Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Halsel died of injuries sustained in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated while he was conducting a dismounted clearance mission during combat operations. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne

Dampier died in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat patrol operations. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, Fort Carson, Colorado. Died on May 15, 2006.

Army Staff Sgt. Marion Flint, Jr., 29, of Baltimore, Maryland.

Flint died in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat patrol operations. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, Fort Carson, Colorado. Died on May 15, 2006.

Army Capt. Shane R. Mahaffee, 36, of Alexandria, Virginia.

Mahaffee died in Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany, of injuries sustained on May 5, 2006, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat patrol operations in Al Hillah, Iraq. He was assigned to the Army Reserve's 489th Civil Affairs Battalion, Knoxville, Tennessee. Died on May 15, 2006.

May 14, 2006 (6)

Army CW4 John W. Engeman, 45, of East North Port, New York.

Engeman died in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 312th Training Support Battalion, 4th Brigade, 78th Division (Training Support), Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Died on May 14, 2006.

Weeks died in Yusufiyah, Iraq, when his aircraft was shot down during combat operations. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Died on

May 14, 2006.

Army Master Sgt. Robert H. West, 37, of Elyria, Ohio.

West died in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 312th Training Support Battalion, 4th Brigade, 78th Division (Training Support), Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Died on May 14, 2006.

Army Maj. Matthew W. Worrell, 34, of Lewisville, Texas.

Worrell died in Yusufiyah, Iraq, when his aircraft was shot down during combat operations. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Died on May 14, 2006.

Gebur died of injuries sustained in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. Died on May 13, 2006.

Marine Lance Cpl. Richard Z. James, 20, of Seaford, Delaware.

James died while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on May 13, 2006.

May 12, 2006

Marine Lance Cpl. Adam C. Conboy, 21, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Conboy died as a result of a non-hostile incident in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Died on May 12, 2006.

Army Spc. Brandon L. Teeters, 21, of Lafayette, Louisiana.

Teeters died in Ludwigshafen, Germany, of injuries sustained on April 20, 2006, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Bradley Fighting Vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq. He was assigned to the 8th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, Fort Hood, Texas. Died on May 12, 2006.

May 11, 2006 (7)

Army Spc. Armer N. Burkart, 26, of Rockville, Maryland.

Burkart died of injuries sustained in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat patrol operations. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York. Died on May 11, 2006.

Marine Lance Cpl. Jason K. Burnett, 20, of St. Cloud, Florida.

Burnett died as a result of a vehicle accident in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on May 11, 2006.

Army Pfc. Eric D. Clark, 22, of Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.

Clark died in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat patrol operations. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York. Died on May 11, 2006.

Grames-Sanchez died as a result of a vehicle accident in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on May 11, 2006.

Marine 2nd Lt. Michael L. Licalzi, 24, of Garden City, New York.

Licalzi died as a result of a vehicle accident in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on May 11, 2006.

Army Pfc. Stephen P. Snowberger III, 18, of Lopez, Pennsylvania.

Snowberger died in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat patrol operations. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York. Died on May 11, 2006.

Marine Cpl. Steve Vahaviolos, 21, of Airmont, New York.

Vahaviolos died as a result of a vehicle accident in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on May 11, 2006.

May 10, 2006

Marine Sgt. Alessandro Carbonaro, 28, of Bethesda, Maryland.

Carbonaro died at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, from wounds received while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar province, Iraq, on May 1, 2006. He was assigned to 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on May 10, 2006.

May 9, 2006

Army Spc. Aaron P. Latimer, 26, of Ennis, Texas.

Latimer died in Mosul, Iraq. He was assigned to the 562nd Engineer Company, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Alaska. Died on May 9, 2006.

May 8, 2006

Army Staff Sgt. Gregory A. Wagner, 35, of Mitchell, South Dakota.

Wagner died of injuries sustained in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised fire projectile struck his HMMWV during combat operation. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 147th Field Artillery, Yankton, South Dakota. Died on May 8, 2006.

May 7, 2006

Army Staff Sgt. Emmanuel L. Legaspi, 38, of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Legaspi died of injuries sustained in Tal Afar, Iraq, when his unit came under enemy small arms fire during combat operations. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Friedberg, Germany. Died on May 7, 2006.

May 6, 2006

Marine Lance Cpl. Leon B. Deraps, 19, of Jamestown, Missouri.

Deraps died while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on May 6, 2006.

Army Staff Sgt. Dale J. Kelly, Jr., 48, of Richmond, Maine.

Kelly died in Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his M1083 cargo truck during combat operations. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry (Mountain), Brewer, Maine. Died on May 6, 2006.

Marine Cpl. Cory L. Palmer, 21, of Seaford, Delaware.

Palmer died at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, from wounds received while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar province, Iraq, on May 1, 2006. He was assigned to the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on May 6, 2006.

Army Staff Sgt. David M. Veverka, 25, of Jamestown, Pennsylvania.

Veverka died in Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his M1083 cargo truck during combat operations. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry (Mountain), Brewer, Maine. Died on May 6, 2006.

May 5, 2006 (5)

Marine Sgt. Matthew J. Fenton, 24, of Little Ferry, New Jersey.

Fenton died at National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, from wounds received while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar province, Iraq on April 26, 2006. He was assigned to Marine Forces Reserve's Inspector and Instructor Staff, 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Fort Devens, Massachusetts. Died on

May 5, 2006.

Army Pfc. Alva L. Gaylord, 25, of Carrollton, Missouri.

Gaylord died of injuries sustained in Qasr Ar Riyy, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his RG-31 Mine Protected Vehicle during a combat clearing operation. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 110th Engineer Battalion, Kansas City, Missouri. Died on May 5, 2006.

Marine 1st. Sgt. Carlos N. Saenz, 46, of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Saenz died in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, he attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. He was assigned to the Army Reserve's 490th Civil Affairs Battalion, Abilene, Texas. Died on May 5, 2006.

Marine Spc. Teodoro Torres, 29, of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Torres died in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, he attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. He was assigned to the Army Reserve's 490th Civil Affairs Battalion, Abilene, Texas. Died on May 5, 2006.

Marine Sgt. Nathan J. Vacho, 29, of Janesville, Wisconsin.

Vacho died in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, he attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. He was assigned to the Army Reserve's 489th Civil Affairs Battalion, Knoxville, Tennessee. Died on May 5, 2006.

May 4, 2006

Marine Cpl. Stephen R. Bixler, 20, of Suffield, Connecticut.

Bixler died while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on May 4, 2006.

Marine Sgt. Elisha R. Parker, 21, of Taberg, New York.

Parker died while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on May 4, 2006.

Army Spc. Bryan L. Quinton, 24, of Sand Springs, Oklahoma.

Quinton died in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his RG-31 Mine Protected Vehicle during combat operations. He was assigned to the 5th Engineer Battalion, 1st Engineer Brigade, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Died on May 4, 2006.

Army Staff Sgt. Gavin B. Reinke, 32, of Pueblo, Colorado.

Reinke died in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his RG-31 Mine Protected Vehicle during combat operations. He was assigned to the 5th Engineer Battalion, 1st Engineer Brigade, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Died on May 4, 2006.

May 3, 2006

Army Pfc. Christopher M. Eckhardt, 19, of Phoenix, Arizona.

Eckhardt died in Taji, Iraq, from a non-combat related cause. He was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. Died on May 3, 2006.

Zieske died of injuries sustained in Kirkuk, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated during a dismounted combat patrol. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Died on May 3, 2006.

May 1, 2006

Army Cpl. Robbie G. Light, 21, of Kingsport, Tennessee.

Light died of injuries sustained in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his M1A2 Abrams tank during combat operations. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. Died on May 1, 2006.

Marine Lance Cpl. Robert L. Moscillo, 21, of Salem, New Hampshire.

Moscillo died while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California. Died on May 1, 2006.

Army Sgt. Joseph E. Proctor, 38, of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Proctor died in Tammin, Iraq when a vehicle-borne, improvised explosive device detonated near his observation post during dismounted combat patrol operations. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 638th Battalion (Aviation), Shelbyville, Indiana. Died on May 1, 2006.

Sunday, May 07, 2006

Pure Magik Music

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Dear Mr. President

This should be playing on every radio station coast to coast.Maybe there is hope for the younger generation after all.

Dear Mr. President Come take a walk with me Let's pretend we're just two people and You're not better than me I'd like to ask you some questions if we can speak honestly

What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street Who do you pray for at night before you go to sleep What do you feel when you look in the mirror Are you proud

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye How do you walk with your head held high Can you even look me in the eye And tell me why

Dear Mr. President Were you a lonely boy Are you a lonely boy Are you a lonely boy How can you say No child is left behind We're not dumb and we're not blind They're all sitting in your cells While you pave the road to hell

What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay I can only imagine what the first lady has to say You've come a long way from whiskey and cocaine

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye How do you walk with your head held high Can you even look me in the eye

Let me tell you bout hard work Minimum wage with a baby on the way Let me tell you bout hard work Rebuilding your house after the bombs took them away Let me tell you bout hard work Building a bed out of a cardboard box Let me tell you bout hard work Hard work Hard work You don't know nothing bout hard work Hard work Hard work Oh

How do you sleep at night How do you walk with your head held high Dear Mr. President You'd never take a walk with me Would you